Hamilton teen is indicted on death by auto, leaving scene of I-95 crash that killed three passengers

Luis Delcid-Cardona makes his first court appearance (via video) in the courtroom of Mercer County Superior Court Judge Hon. Robert C. Billmeier on the morning of Monday, Dec. 23, 2013. Defense attorney Robin Lord is at right.Michael Mancuso/The Times

LAWRENCE -- A Hamilton teen has been indicted on charges of death by auto and fleeing the scene of a December I-95 crash in Mercer County that killed three passengers.

Luis Delcid-Cardona, 19, faces three counts of second-degree death by auto and one count of second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, authorities said.

Rear seat passengers Samantha Belliveau, 18, and Nicole Rodrigues, 20, both of Hamilton, were thrown from the car when it struck the back of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder of the highway and were pronounced dead at the scene. Delcid-Cardona's cousin, Jonathan Rivas, 19, of Princeton, who was in the front passenger seat, later died from his injuries.

He lost control of his 2001 Volkswagen GTS shortly after 1 a.m. while traveling southbound on I-95 in Lawrence Township. His vehicle went over a curb that divides the on-ramp lanes from Route 1 and hit the back of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder of the ramp.

Delcid-Cardona fled the scene following the crash, and was located and arrested a short time later at a home in Lawrence, the release says.

Delcid-Cardona’s attorney Robin Lord has argued during a December bail hearing that poor weather played a role in the crash. Lord cited snow and ice as the primary cause of the crash and said Delcid-Cardona left the scene of the accident to call police, running through the darkness covered in blood.

Delcid-Cardona posted a $300,000 bail on the charges stemming from the crash and was released from Mercer County custody, according to Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.

But Delcid-Cardona, who is from Guatemala, is currently being held without bail at the Essex County jail by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement on an immigration-related matter, an ICE spokesman said.

Delcid-Cardona has not yet been scheduled to appear in Mercer County court, DeBlasio said.

Candlelight vigil on December 13, 2013 at Steinert HS for Samantha Belliveau and Nicole Rodriguez, who were killed along with Jonathan Rivas in a crash on I-95 on Thursday. Keith A. Muccilli/ For The Times of TrentonKeith Muccilli